


Professor Lupin, the Love Potion and How It All Backfired

by Sunamue



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Forbidden Love, Love Potion/Spell, Teacher-Student Relationship, and that twist is you've been single for so long that your best friend has become desparate for you, love potion with a twist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 12:38:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18120893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunamue/pseuds/Sunamue
Summary: Never in a million years, had Jane Crowe thought student-teacher relationships were appropriate. Now she just has to keep the poor love-sick/poisoned idiot from losing his job and the respect of his peers, all while she has to keep her feelings in check. Problem is, the longer it goes on, the harder it becomes...





	Professor Lupin, the Love Potion and How It All Backfired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If anything had become clear to Jane, it was that there were worse things than the unexpected.
> 
> If anything had become clear to everyone else, it was that Jane Crowe was a dumbass.

Prologue:  
The Short Eternity Before the Final Year

If anything should be known, it was that Jane Crowe hated the unexpected, or at least, she had always thought she did. However, sitting on the oversized beanbag, nothing could prepare her for what lie in her near future. Until it would come to have passed, Jane was almost certain that she hated the unexpected.  
Nibbling on the lite snack (‘purebloods and their diets,’ she thought), she listened to the banter that flew back and forth between her friends as the two of them argued about something or rather, truth was, she wasn’t really interested in the conversation. There was something else on her mind, something that made her gut twist as if hit by a cruciatus curse and no matter how many reasons she came up with trying to reason with herself to tell them, something kept stopping her. And so Jane left it.  
Her attention was drawn back to her friends when Sylvia (once fondly nicknamed ‘Squid’ for her tiny statue, now seemed fitting for her tall height), grabbed Jane’s hands, pulling her up and into a small twirl, giggling sweetly as she did. They stopped beside an armorer and Jane found herself being plopped down in front of it before her friend began attacking her with all sorts of products and such as they turned her into some sort of fairy. Or at least Jane hoped she was a fairy, she really couldn’t tell.  
‘Maybe some sort of orange pixie?’ Jane suggested to herself, staring quizzingly at the mirror while Squid and Morrigan effortlessly made themselves into strange divine beings. While Jane did know her way around most magical creatures, she still couldn’t figure out what any of them were supposed to be. But she supposed the point of “Magical Masquerade was to simply look like you were an enchanting, magical creature, not like one. Watching her friends as they went about making themselves up, Jane couldn’t help but feel slightly envious of their talent, because when it came to this subject aside from basic makeup, she was pretty much useless. Thankfully, however, she knew her way around hair which her friends, once done, were more than willing to accept help with. While working away, a conversation they were having earlier in the day picked up again. 

“So …” Sylvia begun, “Have either of you thought about whom you might be interested in perhaps dating this year?”  
Morrigan cackled, “Dating? Who? Us? You’re an absolute mad one! No one has even so much as thrown a glance in my direction and Jane’s practically a nun!” she exclaimed.  
Jane was about to argue when Squid had doubled over with laughter, barely able to make out her agreement through her tears.  
Jane pouted, “Plenty of boys like you,” she huffed, unable to argue with anything else mentioned, which only succeeded in making her friends laugh harder. When they calmed down (finally), Sylvia was right back at it again.  
“But seriously,” she said, “this is our final year at Hogwarts, you two should try and enjoy it,’ she paused before adding, “And not by doing the exact same thing you both always do,” she chuckled.

“At least be open to love.”  
~~~  
At least be open to love, had at first sat idly at the back of her mind but as the night drew on, those words had consumed her mind. Unable to shake those six silly words which Squid had just thrown out there, a throwaway comment, had somehow engulfed Jane’s mind. Throwing a quick glance towards Morrigan, who was staring intensely at the masquerade below them but not watching, Jane wondered if they had stuck to her friend’s mind as they had hers.  
If she had wanted to ask but the chance was gone when the witch who had set their minds aflame returned, swaying to the music that played while dragging the fence-sitters down and threw the party. Ah yes, and what a party it was. The room had been charmed and the party-goers entranced, had Jane never been to a masquerade thrown by the Amordicus family before, she too might have been under its spell. In some way she supposed she still was, she had been to many over the past six years and yet still the night had an air about it, somehow it was heavy, thickly laced with enchantments and charms which had a strange drug-like effect on those who got caught in its web of magic. Somehow, it was as if all the beauty that magic could hold had been captured in that very ballroom, and even time itself had stood still for a moment, passing by as an old friend to visit, all whilst the world spun slowly and out of control around you.  
As she was pulled threw the throngs of people, all dressed to look like a magical creature and no two persons dressed the same, their costumes laced with all sorts of magical spells. Jane wanted nothing more then to give into the urge to dance among them even she was to become trapped in that dance for eternity. There was something about tonight, strangely familiar and filled with sweet threats. Instead of dancing to sweet lure of the party, Sylvia Amordicus (dragging two charmed dorks behind her) weaved her way through the crowds, and to anyone who might have been watching, in a way danced to her own tune.  
When they had finally reached outside the cool air stung their lungs which immediately killed any charm or enchantment. Squid watched, amused, as her friends struggled to catch their breathe. She sniggered almost silently knowing full well that if they were this affected by the charms inside, that something must be on their minds (love, perhaps? She could only pray). Squid decided to keep that knowledge to herself, choosing instead to pester them individually about it later.  
Jane was the first to rouse from the drug-like haze, Morrigan following shortly afterwards.  
“Bloody hell, I really do hate those bastard charms of yours…” Jane croaked.

~~~ 

Only the few hours after the party ended seemed to pass quickly, but soon the seconds slowed again and the days that followed dragged on into the eternity before the final year began. Jane had returned home the day after the party, and having already done any and all shopping or chore related to school, she quickly slipped into a boredom that filled her head and bleed into the clock, which only further dragged out every, single, second. Every blasted moment was filled was a dull sense of impatient waiting. Jane was never particularly fond of school but she knew that it was crucial part to her plan, especially if she truly desired to fulfil her goal.

“It’s not like that’ll matter after next year …”

Jane sat cross legged at a desk, her fingers tracing an outline of an invisible picture when she finally realised what she had said.  
She threw her head back, groaning as she did and leaned against the chair. Jane couldn’t allow herself to think about it, about what was to come or she’d never be able to do it. Instead she allowed her mind to wonder to another question that had been propositioned to her. 

“At least be open to love.” 

Squid’s words echoed through her mind, no longer ominous, instead she welcomed the strange foreboding sense that came with them.  
Why couldn’t she?  
Well, she knew why she couldn’t, but compared to what else was on her mind? Although she knew it wouldn’t happen, Jane relinquished and allowed the very idea of it to blossom in her mind. As cruel as it was, time seemed to quicken in time to match her beating heart and yet the days until she went back to school couldn’t come quick enough. Her days were filled with fantasies of love and in the time between those wicked words being spoken and the moment the train pulled away from the station, the garden that Jane’s mind had grown was spilling out of her head, and she was quicker to smile. While she herself was oblivious to the sudden change in her behaviour, her peers were not.  
She had always been regarded as a strange one. Not really fitting in with the Slytherin stereotype that many had slotted its house members into, she didn’t pay attention to the houses of those she befriended, and if she ever came across someone who was lost Jane was always willing to lead them to where they needed to go, even if it should land her in detention for being late.  
Most of the time, Jane followed behind her two friends while Morrigan lead the way, but today she had glided through the crowds and finding the cart with the trio’s other friends, followed by an impressed Squid, and a distracted Morrigan.  
And aside forMorrigan, who’s mind was too busy wrapping around those same words but not in the same way, to notice that there was a change. Squid, however, relished in it, and it was only after an hour of being probed endlessly by her friend’s pestering that Jane realised that she was acting strange.  
“For the last time, NO, I do not have a boyfriend! Can’t I just be happy, you know I can be happy right?” Jane argued, annoyed that this probably wasn’t gonna end until she admitted the real reason behind her mood shift.  
And she did not want to give Squid that kind of boost to ego, or her head might truly have carried her to outer space.  
“Of course, you can be happy,” Sylvia started, drawling slightly, “It’s just that this is a new type of “Happy Jane””, she said, signifying quotes with her fingers.  
“And,” Jane replied shortly.  
Sylvia met her look with one of annoyance, dropping the jokester act altogether, huffing slightly.  
“Alright Missy,” she begun, “spill the beans! Give us the details we want or we’ll be forced to resort to torture, and you don’t want that…” she threatened, her eyebrow arching and dropping back to fit into the rest of the look that Squid was giving her. (An adorable threat, if Jane dared, and she did) Jane returned her mate’s with a half-amused look, chuckling as she gave a reply of, “Us?”  
Jane could have laughed as Sylvia jabbed an elbow into Morrigan’s side (a loud sound of pain followed as she shot Squid a piercing glare), and Jane was never happier to have not been seated next to the pair but opposed to them by the window. She did, however, let out a snort when Morrigan elbowed Connie Conway in the head which was followed closely by two horse bites delivered to the pair of trouble makers. After that, all squabbling seemed to cease and the cart was filled with endless chatter again and Jane let out a premature sigh of relief when Squid sat on her lap, a Cheshire grin across her face. Jane gave her a pained look, realised that her buddy would never give up until she came out with the truth, knowing it wasn’t worth all the annoyance her friend could (and definitely would) muster, Jane gave in and told her.  
“I gave some thought to the, y’know, thing you said about- well, love aand I-“ Jane’s explanation was cut short by the eruption of happiness which Squid let out and before Jane could stop her, Squid was doing a strange victory dance with her arms (again, that’s what Jane hoped her friend was doing, as she could never really be sure), when the train lurched to an abrupt stop. Sylvia’s dance had ended the second she had almost flown off Jane’s lap, instead she clung on tightly to Jane. The stop had managed to pull Morrigan deep from thought and she was up and one of the first in the compartment to begin investigating.  
Marilyn Nieves, who was sat next to Jane, had begun panicking slightly and Jane had to remind herself that the girl had had previous trauma with trains before Hogwarts and she along with Squid and the girl on the other side of Marilyn tried to calm her. All was going well until the lights went out, which was when Regina Henning passed out (doesn’t deal well with the dark or stress, and now those things were combined!). Jane noticed that Morrigan, who usually dealt with this sort of situation well (the train had stopped once in their second year, not pretty), was nervously muttering underneath her breathe, her pale face turning almost grey in colour as beads of sweat began to form on her brow. Jane wanted to ask her what was the matter when she saw that frost was growing across the window.  
“What the- “she stopped, able to see her own breath forming. Jane shot another look towards Morrigan, who was now standing up and Jane wanted to tell her not to go out there but she didn’t need to.  
“Everyone, “Morrigan began gently, waiting until she had almost all attention before continuing, “We need to remain calm, I understand that this might scare you but you need to know and you cannot be scared, “she stopped, there was a sudden noise from close-by.  
Moving back to her seat, she sat and simply said.  
“Whatever you do, do not panic. Do not scream or cry. When it comes in, ignore it.”  
We all stared at her dumbfounded, cold and in Jane’s case, clueing in on what about to happen.  
They all waited, staring at Morrigan and when the door to their compartment clicked and slid open, most chose to continue looking at her. Jane was unlucky in that besides Morrigan, she was the only other to be sitting besides the window, and so even with her focus being aimed at her friend, she couldn’t escape seeing the creature from the corner of her eye.  
It’s cloak, black in colour and somehow ragged, flowed as if it waded through a body of water and the thing’s long, bony hands gripped at the door as it stared into the room. Jane could feel her eyes pricking as she listened to its breath, it was unlike any sound she had ever heard. Squid grabbed and squeezed her hand suddenly which caused Jane to look sideways towards her, and god, she wished she hadn’t.  
Jane stared at it, unable to look away as fear the locked in. Able to swallow she tried to swallow the wails that creeped up her throat, she was able to keep them down but with every gulp she found herself more and more unable to breathe. The fear played with her mind, and she could have sworn that she saw it smile at her, but that wasn’t possible. Its mouth didn’t look like it could be capable with its shape but the aftermath of the feeling was still terrible.  
Jane had no idea when the dementor had left, nor did she hear or feel as Morrigan and Sylvia questioned and shook her. It took a few minutes until the shock had worn off and Jane merely stood up and began walking out of the cart and off towards the toilet, followed by a worried Squid. All Jane knew, was that she was going to be sick.  
And if there was anything worse than the unexpected, it was dementors. 

~~~  
Sylvia was the first to re-enter the compartment and stopped short when she saw the strange man who was talking to Morrigan, who was more then willing to report on what happened, the others only interjecting when the tallest girl left out the details on how she had helped the situation. Instead of stopping behind and asking what was the hold-up, Jane simply brushed past Squid, all whilst muttering bitterly under her breath.  
“Stupid dementors, smiling when they know they can’t like ‘cus they’re pricks. Silly fuckers- “it carried on as she passed the talking duo and sat back down, still bitter from the event and somehow choosing to ignore how it had affected her.  
“Don’t mind her, Professor, she must still be reeling from the shock I told you about,” Morrigan said, annoyed by her friend’s inability to notice her surroundings before sounding off, even if it was under her breath.  
Unlike the student he was talking to, Remus Lupin was slightly tickled by the girl’s indifference, a small smile on his lips.  
“Not to worry, I should probably get going anyway.” He gave a nod to Squid as he passed her, before turning back, “And make sure they eat it, especially your friend there,” he cheekily added before heading back down the hall.  
Before Sylvia could say anything about the man, Morrigan turned away.  
~~~

They were almost at Hogwarts, the train alive with conversations almost all about the earlier event. Morrigan was sat between Squid and Jane who were back to arguing about love and dating, to be frank, Morrigan was not only NOT paying attention but she downright regretted taking a seat between them. Whenever Jane tried turning the conversation to Morrigan’s love life (all three had discussed Squid’s in length), she would just raise her hand and start flicking at random towards the cowering girl’s face, and the topic was quickly dropped each time. But she still wished that she hadn’t sat here.  
“Okay~,” Sylvia drawled, “So what about Professor Cutie?” she hummed, giggling when Jane’s face twisted into disgust.  
“Squid, no! Everyone knows teachers are off limits!” she exclaimed.  
Which earnt a, “We do?” in response.  
Morrigan could only wait for it all to end when Jane began lecturing the smallest of the trio, who giggling gleefully throughout it. Morrigan was attempting to enter her happy place when Jane said something, which everyone in that cart had silently promised to themselves that they would never let her forget… 

“Besides, like yeah he’s a good teacher and all, but Professor Snape isn’t at all my type,” Jane huffed, her lips drawing into a pout.

Morrigan noted two things.  
1\. Jane Crowe is a dumbass.  
2\. Jane did not notice Professor Lupin. 

The train arrived, but an uneasy excitement stayed with all three of them. All for different reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for it being short, hopefully my word count will fill out a little more. But thankfully, this is a prologue, and I would love to hear what you thought of it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you're having a great day where ever you are!


End file.
